Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Marketing Idea: Use Twitter to Test Marketability of Headlines



It is always good to do market testing--to see what works and what does not work, but for many people that advice is easier to give than it is to follow.  It's not always easy to figure ways to get that data.

Here is a pretty easy way to test data, and you can learn a lot quickly with this data.
Most ideas seem better before we check their results. That's why we need to conduct market research, and Twitter offers a great way to test the marketability of our headlines. Are they really attention grabbing?
I have an upcoming talk about Twitter later this month, but I have to teach myself more about Twitter.  I know how to do the basics on Twitter, but I would like to provide experienced-based insight into using Twitter effectively.

Therefore, I have been using Twitter.  Actually, I have been doing several tests on Twitter.  One of those tests involve me using Hootsuite.

See Also: Beginning my experiment with Hootsuite



By using Hootsuite, I can upload my Tweets in advance.  I have been uploading about 3-4 Tweets per hour.  While I scheduled other Tweets besides my previous blog posts, the vast majority of them have been those blog posts.

Here is one (1) benefit I noticed during this Twitter experiment.  This is a great way to get a lot of market research data--QUICKLY.   If I post my blogs just one (1) time, then my data is confused.  Yes, I can check the number of times each post was read, but I do not really know whether it is (a) a popular/unpopular  time or day or (b) whether people respond to that blog title in my Tweet.

However, since I keep Tweeting my blog posts at different times, I can begin getting a pattern about things that make people seem to respond...and NOT respond.

This experiment will not work if you do not have any Twitter Followers.  You need people who actually read some of their Tweets.  It is even better if some of those Followers actually might open up the link attached to your Tweet, just because it came from you.  However, the data is cleaner if you have unbiased but involved Twitter Followers.

Here are the patterns I've noticed so far:
  • People like stories that demonstrate the lesson.
    • Example: How a boring business like a dry cleaner benefits from Social Media Marketing
  • People become curious about seemingly contradictory titles.
    • Example:  Why My Blog Writing Stinks (Despite It Being Good)
  • People like lists but only with SMALL numbers - not long lists.
    • Example-Bad: 50 Facts about Facebook
    • Example-Good: 3 Ways to Confuse a Customer about Who You Are
  • People like "How To" posts that seem intriguing but not too difficult.
    • Example: Video Marketing Tip: How to Create a YouTube Playlist
I figured that more people on Twitter would be more responsive about Twitter topics, like how to do things and ways to use it better.  So far, those Tweets have not generated that much interest.  Maybe they will as I grow my list of Twitter Followers.

Even if you do not use Hootsuite, keep making Tweets and check to see which ones seem to generate the most interest.  Otherwise, you might keep working hard at creating things that nobody really wants, and that's the biggest waste of time.  It's better than doing nothing, but maybe it's not.

Keep testing.  This is a pretty easy way to test your market.

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Hey there! Thank you for taking time to read my post and share your thoughts with me and my other readers. I'm always tickled when I get a non-SPAM comment. Honestly, sometimes I'm even okay with some borderline SPAM.

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Thanks, again. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Chris